University graduates make more money over lifetime, job-search company says.

Engineering and computer science degrees deliver higher salaries than marketing, business and humanities studies, says a new report, but any university degree is best for long-term financial gain.

Job-search firm Adzuna.ca’s findings came from crunching Statistics Canada student enrollment data and its jobs database. It found that civil engineering alumni are the best-paid grads in Canada, with an average entry-level salary of $68,356, followed by software engineers at $67,274.

Additionally, “energy, oil and gas sectors are rich in entry-level vacancies and these employers are prepared to pay top dollar for university leavers, 31 per cent over the national average salary,” said the study.

Meanwhile, humanities degree holders earned on average less than $30,000 in their first year of work

All university graduates, however, can expect to earn almost $15,000 more than peers without a university degree as they enter the job market, representing a potential boost of $466,476 over their working lives, the study said.

But it’s a fierce contest just to land that position — the study found there are about 13 applicants for every graduate position, rising to over 30 in competitive regions such as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia and falling to 10 applicants for every role in Alberta.

Toronto is identified as the top city in Canada for accounting and financial graduates, while Vancouver is a boon for IT, and Calgary a promising field for engineering.

“With over 7 per cent of Canadians unemployed, young people need to be smart about their choices,” said Adzuna research lead Flora Lowther in a release.

“It’s clear from the data that competition in the graduate job market is intense, and that specific fields, particularly engineering, have the highest demand and most jobs. Graduates in highly competitive cities should be willing to move around the country to land a job, and those thinking about going to university should choose their course carefully.”

Among the best paid of those who don’t attend university are mining and construction workers, realtors and electricians, the study found.

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